ICAD FAQ

{You do not need to catch up, just start}

Index-Card-A-Day Challenge

Welcome to the 2013 Index-Card-A-Day Challenge

THE OFFICIAL LIST OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Go buy a pack of index cards. Cheap ones.

♥ draw ♥ doodle ♥ write ♥ collage ♥ paint ♥ haiku ♥ stamp ♥ stitch ♥

ONE INDEX card each day

JUNE + JULY

61 DAYS : 61 CARDS

2013 Index-Card-a-Day Dates: June 1 to July 31, 2013

What do I do to start?

Create something on a 3x5" index card every day for 61 days. If you start after June 1 you do not need to catch up, really, seriously, just start. You can do more at the end if you wish. But get going, that is what is important. 

Just index cards. 

[if you are reading in a feed reader, click to read the full post]

Simple materials push you to think in new ways.

Do we have to use index cards?

The short answer is YES. That's the whole point. Trust me. I love watercolor paper and I understand the difference in paper quality. I get it. But this is simple stuff. Not precious. Just a stack of cards on your desk or kitchen counter. Grab one, create. I suggest 3x5" index cards or index card dividers {these are made out of manila folder type paper}. Maximum size = 4" x 6"

Index cards are cheap.

How does it work?

Each day, I'll post an index card creation. Each week I'll post a list of 100% optional prompts. 

What do I do with my cards when ICAD is finished?

Take a photograph of your stack of cards! You will gradually find a purpose for your cards. What matters is NOT collecting a bunch of index card creations but that daily bit of creativity on a blank canvas which is not precious. So gift them to friends, put them on your inspiration wall, file them in a collaged recipe box, or put them on a huge metal jump ring.

Reasons to use 3x5" index cards:

1. You can experiment and be creative using a basic + wonderful office supply. 
2. You can utilize the lines as part of your creation, or ignore the lines, or work on the back!
3. Anything goes. Dye the card with red wine. Cut it up and weave it back together. Practice origami folds. Stitch it. Sketch on it. Doodle on it. Stamp it. Collage it.

The index cards are part of the challenge. 

3x5" index card, pitt pen, sakura gelly roll

Are There Prompts?

Yes. 100% optional weekly prompts. Prompts are posted Fridays at 1am CST starting June 1 for 10 weeks (there's an extra week of prompts so you don't go into withdrawal). Mix and match prompts as you wish. I'll share ideas and inspiration along the way.

What resources does Daisy Yellow provide?

• Each day of the challenge, I post an index card.
• Each week of the challenge, I post a Mister Linky for you to add a link to your cards.
• Each week I post a set of 100% optional prompts {more on that below}.
• Guest posts from artists around the globe.
• A Daisy Yellow Flickr group dedicated to the challenge.
• {NEW} A Daisy Yellow Facebook group dedicated to the challenge.

How did the index-card-a-day challenge start? 

I started index-card-a-day in 2011 on a whim! I was sitting in a cafe and wanted to draw. I had a stack of index cards in the pocket of my backpack and drew some mandalas and thought that it might be fun to draw a bunch of cards over the summer. ICAD went for 92 days in 2011, 61 days in 2012 and we will do 61 days in 2013. 

Each year, I create index cards along with everyone else and I post every single card to Daisy Yellow. So each day you can pop over for some inspiration. This year, we'll have some guest index card creators!

June + July 2013 Weekly Prompts

{The prompts go live each week, you'll find a link here when they are live}

• Week 1: June 1 
• Week 2: June 8
• Week 3: June 15
• Week 4: June 22
• Week 5: June 29
• Week 6: July 6
• Week 7: July 13
• Week 8: July 20
• Week 9: July 27

Mediums? Themes?

Anything you want. Stitch, paint, draw, drip, stain, weave, fold, cut, collage, ink, acrylic, watercolor.... you are limited only by your imagination. If you like series, you could do a series each week or every two weeks or every month. Like neocolors in week one, acrylics in week two, cartoons in week three. Totally up to you?

Is there a fancy schmancy badge?

Yes, get an ICAD badge for your blog sidebar.

Are there hashtags?

On twitter + instagram + tumblr + facebook use #icad.

On flickr tag your artwork icad.

Where should we post our index cards?

Yes! We want to see all of your index cards!

There are two spots to post your cards. Use one or both. I will be posting in both.

Please add your index cards to the Daisy Yellow Flickr Group. You can add 7 photos per day to the group.

Please add your index cards to the Daisy Yellow ICAD Facebook Group. This group is specifically for ICAD. Please do not post index cards in the regular Daisy Yellow Facebook group as it will flood the group.

If you blog about your index cards, please link to Daisy Yellow to let others know what this is all about. There are 1000s of cards completed each year and this is more efficiently handled at Flickr. Please cheer others on by clicking to FAVORITE the cards you like. It really gets crazy and it will spur everyone on to KEEP GOING. Please do not post index cards in the regular DY FB group.

Where should I link my blog posts?

Link your posts here: http://daisyyellowart.com/icad/icad-faq.html. 

Restrictions?

Nothing vulgar, nothing that would make folks say "ewwwwww" or cringe. Family friendly. Kids are welcome to join the challenge and yes, you can post your kids' cards on the flickr or FB groups, just tag them #kidart.

What does it cost?

ICAD is FREE. This is the first year that I ask you to consider a VOLUNTARY contribution of $1, $2, $5 or $10 USD to help me fund the overhead cost for Daisy Yellow which includes squarespace blog hosting fees, vimeo fees, mister linky fees, flickr fees and caffeine requirements. Another option is to buy a Daisy Yellow Zine! 

Amount

One Dollar $1.00 USD Two Dollars $2.00 USD Five Dollars $5.00 USD Ten Dollars $10.00 USD

Are there lots of resources for making index card artwork?

A zillion things you can do with an index card
Thoughts on this crazy daily challenge
ICAD introduction {how it all began}
Ideas for your stack of finished index cards
Hanna's guest post: Index Card Art

How do I get updates in my feed reader?

There are two separate feeds for Daisy Yellow. One feed provides all of the regular blog posts and the other feed provides only posts in the prompts/index-card-a-day section of the blog. My guess is that you will want both feeds if you are doing ICAD. Sorry but there's no email feed.

The feed for the daisy yellow blog: http://daisyyellowart.com/vividlife/rss.xml

The feed for the index-card-a-day challenge: http://daisyyellowart.com/icad/rss.xml

Here's a link to subscribe to the daisy yellow blog in bloglovin:

Here's a link to subscribe to the icad section of daisy yellow in bloglovin:

How can I help spread the ICAD Love?

Please spread the word across the globe by tweeting, blogging about the challenge, posting a link on your FB page, etc. Talk about what it means to you, how you approach the challenge, why you do it, why index cards are important, how it has changed your creative life, why it makes you happy.

Can I post the ICAD prompts + Tammy's index cards to my blog?

No. Please don't. This is the 3rd year of the challenge and I've learned a lot about keeping it organized! The process works better if there are not a lot of repeated + intersecting posts. I know that you are excited to share the fun, and the best way to do that is to hop around and say hello and cheer each other on... and post your work at flickr to inspire others.

Again, PLEASE DO NOT copy/paste the weekly prompts or my index cards to your blog. The challenge is a labor of love but the content and copyright is that of Daisy Yellow. 

Design, content and images © 2013 Tammy Garcia.